Girdles



May 1 1964 A. R. LEWIS ETAL GIRDLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 18, 1961 y 1964 A. R. LEWIS ETAL 3,133,541 7 GIRDLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 18. 1961 United States Patent and Laura Nugent, Bronx, N .Y., assignors to Maddenforrn, Inn, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed (Pet. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 145,961 2 Claims. (Cl. IZS S-ttl) The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation, partly broken away at certain areas of the outer fabric assembly to show underlying layers, the arrows indicating the direction of stretch.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the back of the girdle with its fabric layers underlying the outermost fabric of the girdle back.

FIG. la is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line la-lla, PEG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation showing the back of the girdle, dotted lines indicating the form and position of an inner control layer element which may be employed.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly FIGURES 1 and 3, I have shown at 1 a front central panel which .will have one way stretch, vertically in the direction of the arrow and which may be made of Licra satin elastic material, and in FIG. 3 the back panel 2 is made of like material. (Ionnecting the front panel 1 and the rear panel 2 at the exterior of the girdle is the main exterior body fabric constituting the side or hip encircling panels 5 and consisting of two way stretch material, a type of which is known in the trade as Spandex powernet. The arrows in FEGURES 1 and 3 indicate the two way stretch of the main body fabric at the exterior of the girdle.

Referring to FIG. 2', showing the interior of the girdle front, an inner control panel 3 of one way stretch material, and preferably of Leno, as known in the trade, lies across the abdominal area, its downwardly turned ends meeting inner hip panels 4 which extend to the bottom hem of the girdle. Unlike inner control panel 3 each hip panel 4 has vertical stretch.

At its margins the inner control panel 3 is seamed to the two way stretch outer body fabric 5 and its central lower area which lies over front panel 1 includes said seaming. The inner control panel I and the hip panels may be applied as a unit to the inner front of the girdle, and preliminary thereto may be joined by a seam 6 and which need not extend into the two way stretch outer fabric.

In one form of the invention inner control panel .3 may be fulled when the girdle is at rest, as diagrammatically indicated in FIG. 2 at 7 for a purpose to be hereinafter stated, and as shown in section, FIG. 1a, providing an excess in dimension from top to bottom so that when the girdle is on the body vertical stretching of the front panel 1 moves the inner control panel 1 to a point of rigidity. Hence the front panel 1 is permitted to stretch the desired amount up and down. In addition the outer panel 1 may be seamed with excess material at its upper area which overlies the inner control panel as diagrammatically indicated in FIG. 1 at 7*. When the garment is worn the excess material of front panel 1 is laterally pulled to a point of rigidity. The effect is to give more control over the abdomen.

Referring to FIG. 3, which is a View of the girdle back at the exterior thereof, the dotted lines show the boundaries of a back interior control panel 3* which may be employed and which may be a replica of the front inner control panel 3. When employed the back control panel 3 may be fulled like front control panel 3, and the upper area of back panel 2 may be fulled like that of panel 1.

The fact that there is provided an area of substantially one way stretch elastic over the entire front area of the abdomen and then off to opposite sides, connecting the hip strips which have reverse stretch, is an important feature of'the invention, and provides a working together of the elements. When the girdle is worn a rigid area occurs over the abdomen, and inside the girdle front the inner control panel works opposite to the working of the vertical stretch front panel 1 at the upper area of the latter. It is this area which becomes rigid. The ends of the inner control member 3 run to opposite sides of the front panel 1 and hence these extensions are seamed to the two way stretch body fabric 5, allowing only one direction of stretch, i.e. circumferentially of the girdle. The inner hip panels 4 with vertical stretch, being applied inwardly of the two Way stretch body fabric, control the latter to stretch one way, namely vertically. By attaching the vertical stretch hip panels to the horizontal stretch inner control panel 3, there is a working together of the said three elements. Thus, the vertical pull at the hip areas of the girdle exerts a pull on the inner control panel, and vice versa.

It will be understood that verious modifications may be made in the form of the elements illustrated in thedrawings without departing from the spirit of the claims annexed hereto.

Having described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A girdle having abdominal, buttock, hip and thigh areas and adapted to control the abdomen and hips, comprising an exterior assembly consisting of an elongated abdominal central panel having vertical stretch at the front of the girdle, and at its side edges secured to hip encircling side panels of two-way stretch fabric, an elongated central panel at the back of the girdle and having vertical stretch and secured at its side edges to said hip encircling panels, and an interior assembly consisting of an inner control panel of horizontal stretch lying horizontally across the abdominal area of said exterior assembly and having downturned ends, inner hip control panels having vertical stretch and secured to said downturned ends and to the hip encircling side panels of the exterior assembly, said inner control panel having a generally V-shaped lower margin secured to the abdominal central panel of the exterior assembly and to the hip encircling panels of said exterior assembly.

2. A girdle as defined in claim 1, characterized by an inner control panel at the back of the girdle, and overly ing the body fabric and the back central panel of vertical stretch, said inner back control panel having horizontal stretch and overlying and seamed to the body fabric of two-way stretch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,663,871 Erteszek Dec. 29, 1953 2,879,771 Bell Mar. 31, 1959 2,932,298 Chubby Apr. 12, 1960 2,949,917 Arcuri Aug. 23, 1960 2,969,068 Murdock Jan. 24, 1961 3,013,563 Goldstein Dec. 19, 1961 

1. A GIRDLE HAVING ABDOMINAL, BUTTOCK, HIP AND THIGH AREAS AND ADAPTED TO CONTROL THE ABDOMEN AND HIPS, COMPRISING AN EXTERIOR ASSEMBLY CONSISTING OF AN ELONGATED ABDOMINAL CENTRAL PANEL HAVING VERTICAL STRETCH AT THE FRONT OF THE GIRDLE, AND AT ITS SIDE EDGES SECURED TO HIP ENCIRCLING SIDE PANELS OF TWO-WAY STRETCH FABRIC, AN ELONGATED CENTRAL PANEL AT THE BACK OF THE GIRDLE AND HAVING VERTICAL STRETCH AND SECURED AT ITS SIDE EDGES TO SAID HIP ENCIRCLING PANELS, AND AN INTERIOR ASSEMBLY CONSISTING OF AN INNER CONTROL PANEL OF HORIZONTAL STRETCH LYING HORIZONTALLY ACROSS THE ABDOMINAL AREA OF SAID EXTERIOR ASSEMBLY AND HAVING DOWNTURNED ENDS, INNER HIP CONTROL PANELS HAVING VERTICAL STRETCH AND SECURED TO SAID DOWNTURNED ENDS AND TO THE HIP ENCIRCLING SIDE PANELS OF THE EXTERIOR ASSEMBLY, SAID INNER CONTROL PANEL HAVING A GENERALLY V-SHAPED LOWER MARGIN SECURED TO THE ABDOMINAL CENTRAL PANEL OF THE EXTERIOR ASSEMBLY AND TO THE HIP ENCIRCLING PANELS OF SAID EXTERIOR ASSEMBLY. 